Coaching Blog

All registered coaches coaching under 8 to under 10 rugby must have trained status inNCCP Community Initiation – Non-Contact Rugby. A trained status in NCCP Community Initiation – Contact Rugby or NCCP Competition Introduction Rugby or certification inNCCP Rugby Level 1 also satisfies this requirement.

All registered coaches coaching under 12 to under 16 rugby must have trained status inNCCP Community Initiation – Contact Rugby. A trained status in NCCP Competition Introduction Rugby or certification in NCCP Rugby Level 1 also satisfies this requirement.

All registered coaches coaching under 18 to Senior must have certified status in NCCP Competition Introduction Rugby. A certification in NCCP Rugby Level 2 also satisfies this requirement.

Of all the roles, stances and expectations that are thrust upon coaches, the most important is to be a supportive educator — inspiring, enabling, supporting and empowering. And all these are well beyond the bounds of teaching sports skill and expertise. Of all the knowledge and skills coaches are expected to have, Kidd believes that the most important is an explicit pedagogy or ‘logic model’, with a curriculum of self and social discovery, and the experience of putting these into practice. It is not enough to say we believe in sport as education. The research says that we must become much more intentional – about both the provision of opportunity, and the quality of the experience provided by sports

The modern Rugby coach seems to have been fooled into thinking that the coaching job entails production of a generation of "multi-phase-contact, breakdown-oriented players who run around in pods, setting targets for strike runners to exploit, while the hoi-poloi of the team look to barge into rucks and tidy up loose ball.” It is not a great concept for the art, speed and fluidity of the game. There is no evidence of game sense, imagination or creativity. However, I still hear this language at practice sessions, the length and breadth of the country.

2011 was a very busy year for the Rugby Ontario Technical Department with a revision of a number of major programs. On reflection we are very happy with what we have accomplished over the past 12 months however the work has only begun and we will be looking to build off of what was done this year to continue to drive Rugby forward.

Shaun and I want to wish everyone in and around the Rugby community a wonderful holiday season and a safe New Year.

We will be back in action in early 2012 ready for another great year of Rugby in Ontario and across Canada.

How can coaches encourage “game sense” to help players read what is happening? How can coaches persuade players to assume responsibility for their actions in the pressure of a Rugby match? How can coaches underpin “Game Sense” by developing a players’ understanding of the Game and what options are available to them at any given moment?

Keith Wilkinson, current Master Learning Facilitator for Coach Education, former international player, coach and manager writes an excellent article further detailing how to Develop "Game Sense" in Rugby.

In the fifty years I have been involved in Rugby, the ability to “read” a game has always been prized, but often only as an afterthought. These days, it may be called “Game Sense,” but it means the same: An ability to understand and make decisions in the heat and pressure of a Game.

André Watson, South Africa's refereeing boss, has spoken to referees and coaches about a slack application of the tackle law which forbids the action popularly known as 'sealing off'. He warned that referees who failed to stop sealing off risked being benched.

Sealing off occurs after a ball-carrier has been tackled and a support player or support players fall on to of the tackled player to ensure that their side can get the ball by preventing opponents from getting to it. This is against the principle of having a fair contest for the ball after a tackle.

This is contrary to Law 15 which requires arriving players to be on their feet to contest the ball.

As Technical Director of Rugby Ontario I spend a lot of time around the playing and practicing of rugby in Ontario and across Canada. One thing often stands out to me as one fundamental issue (amongst others) that coaches must address for the betterment of the game.

Overall, the experience was what I expected, with some high-level play and good knowledge and compliance by players. That being said, the three referees undoubtedly brought the level of play by being both strict and consistent. I was a little surprised by how informal the PR process was, but the three referees were all at the end of their season, so this may have played a role. With regard to specific thoughts on my experience on the pitch, I have broken it down into three categories – communication, technical observation and tactical considerations – to be in line with my weekly game planning and review process.

It's Thursday, June 16 and I've just roused myself to head to breakfast. Yesterday was matchday 2 here at the Nations Cup, in Bucharest, Romania. After breakfast, we will have a match officials meeting to go over any and all issues from yesterday's matches. All were close affairs, with Georgia pipping Argentina A 14-13; Romania coming up just short (despite some good opportunities late in the match) against the SA Kings (which is actually the regional franchise from the South-Eastern Cape and in 2013 will be playing in the Super Rubgy competition, replacing the lowest placed of the current SA franchises from next season); and lastly Namibia putting together a much-improved performance to beat Portugal 29-23. All three matches were well-contested and fast-paced in near-perfect conditions.